Hormone-like peptides including insulin, the insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II), somatostatin and ACTH are evolutionarily conserved and therefore have important roles in normal physiology. To further elucidate these roles, we have cloned and characterized multiple rat IGF-I cDNAs. Using these clones together with IGF-II cDNAs, we have studied the expression of these genes in normal development and in pathological states such as starvation, diabetes, and compensatory renal hypertrophy.